07 July 2009

On a day where there's non-stop coverage of the Michael Jackson memorial everywhere you may turn, I found a silver lining to all of it. The American People are not as enthralled with Jackson as the media seems to think.

In the non-scientific poll on cnn.com at the time of this writing (11:50am) the question posed is this:

How will you watch coverage of Michael Jackson memorial?

The fascinating fact is that an overwhelming majority will not be watching coverage of the memorial.

The results are:

TV 13% 18895Web 10% 14792Not watching 78% 117370

Total Votes: 151057

While this is not a scientific poll, it once again shows us all how disconnected the media really is from reality. No surprises there.

05 July 2009

"What tremendously easy riddles you ask!" Humpty Dumpty growled out. "Of course I don't think so! Why, if ever I did fall off - which there's no chance of - but if I did ---" Here he pursed up his lips, and looked so solemn and grand that Alice could hardly help laughing. "If I did fall," he went on, "the King has promised me - ah, you may turn pale, if you like! You didn't think I was going to say that, did you? The King has promised me - with his very own mouth - to - to ---"

"To send all his horses and all his men," Alice interrupted...

Some have wondered why I have a quote from Alice's Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll on the sidebar of my blog. We all know the story, as does Alice. While walking through the woods and meeting all sorts of strange characters, Alice happens upon an egg sitting precariously on top of high wall and has the discussion we see above.

It's a fascinating encounter. Humpty Dumpty obviously knows that he's doing something dangerous. Despite his protest that "there's no chance" of him falling off, he tells us that he has a promise from the King Himself that he'll send all his horses and all his men... to presumably put him back together again. And we know... that all the kings horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together again.

It's not so much the end result that should concern us - that Humpty lay in pieces - but in the trust that he has in the King and His promises. Since the King has promised him therefore Humpty goes on to live his life in a dangerous, self-destructive way. He no longer has to take personal responsibility for his actions. The King's promises will protect him.

There's a drug czar, a U.S. border czar, an urban czar, a regulatory czar, a stimulus accountability czar, an Iran czar, a Middle East czar, and a czar for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, which in Washington-speak has been lumped together into a policy area called Af-Pak.

There are upward of 20 such top officials, all with lengthy official titles but known in the media as czars, and next week there will be one more, when Obama appoints a czar for cyber-security who will be charged with improving the security of computer networks.

And let's not forget our newest czar... the domestic violence czar. No, she won't be beating on Obama when she's upset, rather she is there to remind us that domestic violence is a serious issue. Great, we don't know that it's a serious issue that we need to create a new government job to "remind us"?

Why is Obama establishing jobs for people whose jobs are already being done by others? A drug czar... aren't the police and ATF dealing with that? What about the border czar? Can we say... border patrol? What the heck is an "urban czar"? Iran/Middle East/Afghanistan/Pakistan czars... I'm sorry, I thought that was the State Department's territory. I'm sure I'm not the only one confused, but wait there's also the health czar... I wonder if they'll start regulating what we are allowed to eat. Oh, my mistake - government already does that.

Don't worry everyone - government is here to save us from ourselves through the duplication of high paying government jobs and the destruction of personal responsibility. Don't worry about eating unhealthy foods... government will prevent restaurants from serving you transfats rather than you having to think about what you're putting in your mouth. Government is here to make your life smooth without bumps and without thinking or taking responsibility for your actions. Don't worry about a thing... I have the King's Word Himself that He'll take care of you.

04 July 2009

O! say can you see by the dawn's early lightWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.O! say does that star-spangled banner yet waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly sworeThat the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,A home and a country should leave us no more!Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.No refuge could save the hireling and slaveFrom the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall standBetween their loved home and the war's desolation!Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued landPraise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall waveO'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

02 July 2009

A month after Toronto enacted a bylaw that forces businesses to charge customers 5Â� per pastic bag, other Canadian cities seem disinclined to follow suit, yet the measure continues to generate controversy. Calgary and Hamilton have rejected similar...read more...

Here in Toronto we recently had the Ontario provincial government decide to make all businesses charge customers 5 cents for each plastic bag needed. The idea was to push people into bringing their own bags with them and reducing the number of plastic bags out there. I was very upset the day that I found out about this new tax. Other customers were not impressed either.

One woman I spoke to wanted to know where the new money was going - to the government or to the businesses? It seems that the money is going to the businesses. What's interesting is that some of the larger businesses are donating some or all of this new new money to charitable causes. This is a fascinating twist - business using a tax as a promotional tool... clever.

It seems that other provinces were thinking about forcing this new tax on businesses and according to the article above, it isn't going well at all. What's even better is that there are those here in Ontario who may be taking the government to task and trying to find this tax unconstitutional and an imposition on business practices. I welcome such action.

I understand that the government is trying to limit the amount of plastic floating around the streets - however - there has to be a better way to do it. Placing a tax on individuals is uncomfortable for businesses who actually have to collect... and makes shoppers unhappy that during this time of penny-pinching they're being taxed once again.

01 July 2009

Canada has a tremendous history fighting for freedom around the world. Canadians have a lot to be proud of.

O Canada!Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!From far and wide, O Canada,We stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Not that I find David Letterman funny, I don't. But it looks like he's offended the Muslims .
The new threat comes from a frequen...

Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall

"Don't you think you'd be safer down on the ground?"

"What tremendously easy riddles you ask!" Humpty Dumpty growled out. "Of course I don't think so! Why, if ever I did fall off - which there's no chance of - but if I did ---" Here he pursed up his lips, and looked so solemn and grand that Alice could hardly help laughing. "If I did fall," he went on, "the King has promised me - ah, you may turn pale, if you like! You didn't think I was going to say that, did you? The King has promised me - with his very own mouth - to - to ---"